Thoughts On The End Of The Season

So, Chelsea win the FA Cup - congratulations. Here interim Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink models what seems to be an amazingly well fitted FA Cup on his head. Everton never looked dangerous after their instant goal in the first minute. Chelsea have had some season. Big Phil screwed their chances at the Premier League title and their chance to go to the Champions League final was outrageously stolen by the ref. My thought here is that had Chelsea had Guus Hiddink from day one and had their second match again Barcelona been fairly officiated, they would have taken the league and the Champions League too.

They have a certain quality that United, for all their amazing wealth of talent, lack. Even after that first minute goal today you just knew they were going to win anyway. And while Barcelona made United look almost average, Chelsea did the same to Barcelona, despite the outcome. While watching their games this year I always got the sense that Hiddink's Chelsea were never out of any match. Chelsea compared to United is in my eyes just like the Boston Red Sox compared to the Yankees. The Yankees and United are better on paper and should generally win based on talent but they lack the certain clutchy, steely, bounce backyness that the Red Sox and Chelsea have in abundance.

So how does United get a bit of steel in their spine? I have a few thoughts, of course. Scholes, Giggs, Nani, and Park should be moved out to pasture. Evra should be reminded that he has to make tackles. Anderson needs to be used more. He completely smothered Leo Messi in the Olympics so he can and should be used to as a roving dangerman snuffer. Have him mark the opposing danger man all match. Tevez and Ronaldo will be gone and so there will be seemingly big gaps up front. Signing Ribery or Valencia or some other such attacking player is not what's needed. Wellbeck, Macheda, and Tosic deserve their chance and I think if they get it they will do very well as a nice addition to Rooney and Berbatov. What's really needed is a world class central midfielder with scads of snarl. A player who will run the farthest to tackle the hardest. A player who will squash locker room problems. A player who can score clutch goals. A hard man who is not to be trifled with. A man like . . .